The invention relates to improvements in apparatus for confining rolls of convoluted sheet material, such as paper, in envelopes. The invention also relates to portions of envelopes which can be formed in or with the improved apparatus.
It is customary to confine large rolls of convoluted paper or other sheet material in envelopes of the type designed to shield the convoluted material from damage during storage and/or transport. Reference may be had, for example, to commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,612 granted Dec. 4, 1984 to Stefan Piesen et al. for "Apparatus for manipulating rolls of convoluted paper or the like" and to commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,108 granted Jan. 24, 1986 to Stefan Piesen et al. for "apparatus for confining rolls of convoluted paper or the like". An envelope normally comprises (a) two disc-shaped inner covers which are placed next to the two end faces of a roll wherein a long web of paper or other sheet material is convoluted around a normally tubular core, (b) a sheet of paper or other wrapping material which is draped around the periphery of the roll and the two marginal portions (axial ends) of which are thereupon folded over the inner covers, and (c) two outer covers which are placed over the folded-over marginal portions of the applied wrapping material and are affixed (e.g., glued) to the respective marginal portions as well as to the respective inner covers.
The inner covers must be at least temporarily affixed to the roll prior to the application and folding of wrapping material so that they remain in proper positions relative to the respective end faces of the roll. The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,108 proposes to employ suitably configurated plugs which are driven through the inner covers and into the end portions of the core which is surrounded by the innermost convolution of sheet material. The plugs are held in requisite positions by friction or by clamping action. The inner covers can be affixed to the respective plugs by nails, clamps or in any other suitable way. Problems arise when the plugs are utilized in countries wherein the environmental protection agencies enforce strict rules against the utilization and disposal of articles, machine parts or other objects which are not made of degradable material. As a rule, or at least in many instances, the plugs are made of a material which is not readily decomposable. Moreover, the plugs cannot be reused in most instances because they are damaged or destroyed during extraction from the ends of cores of large rolls of paper or the like.
Attempts to avoid the utilization of plugs include proposals to nail, clamp or otherwise secure the inner covers directly to the rolls, particularly to the respective end portions of cores for convoluted sheet material. Such proposals have met with limited success because of potential damage to the convoluted material, for example, if a nail happens to be driven into the convoluted material in lieu of into the end portion of the core. A clamp is also likely to damage the convoluted sheet material. Furthermore, in many instances the core for a roll of convoluted paper or other sheet material is made of a metal or alloy which eliminates the possibility of using nails or clamps as a means for releasably securing inner covers to the end portions of such cores.
Additional presently known proposals to manipulate inner covers include mechanically and/or otherwise urging an inner cover against the respective end face of a roll of convoluted paper or other sheet material preparatory to or at least during draping of a sheet or wrapping material around a finished roll and during subsequent folding of the marginal portions of the convoluted wrapping material over the inner covers. The inner covers can be released when the folding of marginal portions of wrapping material is completed provided, of course, that the folded marginal portions are sufficiently stiff to hold the inner covers in requisite positions of alignment with the respective end faces of a freshly confined roll. The just discussed proposal is unsatisfactory on the ground that an inner cover which is merely pressed against the respective end face of a roll is likely to become displaced during draping of wrapping material around the roll, during folding of the marginal portions of such wrapping material over the outer sides of the inner covers and/or during subsequent manipulation of the roll and of its envelope, particularly during the application of outer covers to make the rolls ready for shipment to storage or to purchasers. In fact, an inner cover can be displaced to such an extent that it no longer contacts the respective end face of a roll which is to be provided with an enclosure or envelope or which is in the process of being confined in an envelope. Even relatively minor shifting of an inner cover from an optimum position relative to the respective end face of a roll can result in non-uniform shielding of and eventual damage to the improperly confined roll.
In many instances, the outer covers and/or the inner covers for use in envelopes which surround rolls of convoluted paper or other sheet material are made of cardboard or other relatively stiff plate-like material. U.S. Pat. No. 2,788,892 granted Apr. 16, 1957 to Nicholas G. Dales for "Tape roll support" discloses a flat square or rectangular plate-like support which is to be assembled with a roll of tape and has a projection of one piece with two relatively movable sections of the plate and provided with four parallel edges serving to frictionally engage the internal surface of a tubular core within a roll of convoluted tape. The purpose of the polygonal support is to prevent shifting of the roll of tape in a container wherein the support is held against any lateral movements.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,641 granted Oct. 30, 1973 to Lawrence Jerzewski, Jr. for "Adhesive tape package" discloses a box-shaped container for two rolls of adhesive tape. The rolls are located side-by-side and are held in such positions by two supports each adjacent to one of the two end faces of each roll and each having two tongues bent at right angles to the general planes of the respective supports and extending into the tubular cores of the rolls. The rolls are first assembled with the two supports, and the thus obtained assemblies of two rolls and two supports are thereupon introduced into the box-like container. The dimensions of the assemblies are such that the supports cannot move in the container, and the tongues of the supports are received in the respective cores with minimal clearance to prevent wobbling of the rolls relative to their supports.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,447 granted Dec. 13, 1977 to Jeffrey M. Gardner for "Reel package" discloses a retaining pad which is to prevent a roll of convoluted sheet material or tape from sliding within the confines of a box-shaped container. The pad has a square outline and is provided with two projections adapted to be pivoted out of the general plane of the pad and into the tubular core of a reel. The projections are folded over each other and are dimensioned to at least substantially fill the core.